The National Security Agency has shot down a Freedom of Information Act request for details about an elusive presidential order that may allow the government to deploy the military within the United States for the supposed sake of cybersecurity.

The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) reports on Tuesday that their recent FOIA request for information about a top-secret memo signed last month by US President Barack Obama has been rejected [PDF]. Now attorneys for EPIC say they plan to file an appeal to get to the bottom of Presidential Policy Directive 20.

Although the executive order has been on the books for a month now, only last week did details emerge about the order after the Washington Post reported that Pres. Obamas signature to the top-secret directive could allow the White House to send in recruits from the Pentagon to protect Americas cyber-infrastructure.

Because Presidential Policy Directive 20 is classified, the exact wording of the elusive document has been a secret kept only by those with first-hand knowledge of the memo. For their November 14 article, the Post spoke with sources that saw the document to report that the directive effectively enables the military to act more aggressively to thwart cyberattacks on the nations web of government and private computer networks.

In response to the Posts report, EPIC filed a FOIA request to find out if the policy directive could mean military deployment within the United States, especially since the sources who have seen the memo say it allows the Pentagon to pursue actions against adversaries within a vaguely described terrain known only as cyberspace. What it does, really for the first time, is it explicitly talks about how we will use cyber-operations, a senior administration official told the Post. Network defense is what youre doing inside your own networks. . . . Cyber-operations is stuff outside that space, and recognizing that you could be doing that for what might be called defensive purposes.

Wed like to see what the language says and see what power is given, EPIC attorney Amie Stepanovich told RT this week  a matter that will now have to be appealed before any details can be determined. News of the directive comes just as lawmakers in Congress failed once again to approve a cybersecurity legislation that would provide new connections between the federal government and the private sector in order to supposedly ramp up the United States protection from foreign hackers. With the defeat of that bill, though, members of both the House and Senate now say they expect Pres. Obama to sign a separate executive order that will lay down the groundwork for a more thorough cybersecurity plan to be established.

Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief has already signed a secret order  Presidential Policy Directive 20  that might remain classified unless EPIC can win in court. We believe that the public hasnt been able to involve themselves in the cybersecurity debate, and the reason they cant involve themselves is because they dont have the right amount of information, Stepanovich tells RT. Responding to the FOIA request, the NSA says releasing information on the directive cannot occur because disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security. Because the document is currently and properly classified, it is exempt from disclosure, the NSA writes.

Wed like to see what the language says and see what power is given,

I think that should say what power was usurped. Because to my knowledge there is no legislation empowering the President to send troops in to the interior of the nation to take control of private servers and networks.

For that matter I know of no Constitutional power granted to the Congress to pass such legislation.

The people of the United States need to reassert control of their government and start punishing those in government for their intrusions in to person liberty.

7
posted on 11/20/2012 6:15:30 PM PST
by Pontiac
(The welfare state must fail because it is contrary to human nature and diminishes the human spirit.)

After the election got stolen, I realized I need to re-read Bracken’s trilogy, since it’s gonna happen more or less as in his books (imho, ymmv etc).

I was hoping Romney would win, so as to buy us time to get more conservatives (aka Constitutionalist) people in Congress and also in State positions.

Alas, it did not happen. So IMHO it is now pedal to the metal destruction. The commie/black racist/islamic/pervert lovers are going to try their very hardest to destroy everything that is good about America, as fast as they can. And the R party is, other than a few worthy exceptions, a bunch of eunuchs or Dem fellow travelers.

15
posted on 11/20/2012 7:28:18 PM PST
by little jeremiah
(Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point. CSLewis)

Were over the edge already. Just waiting on someone to take the first shot...

I've expressed that viewpoint frequently over the last several years. Most often, here on FR.

We're living in 'tinderbox' conditions. All it's going to take is the wrong kind of incident to trigger a much larger event. I can see some catalyst event causing several states to simultaneously secede from the union.

Worse, would be a spontaneous breakout of mass hostilities between left and right across the country. There's every chance that some event could trigger that, too.

Open hostilities of that type might even be triggered by a secession of red states. Liberal Dems living in those states would literally fly into a panic, and some would go 'postal'. That, of course, would likely trigger massive retaliation on the part of conservative/patriot/secessionists.

I tell you, we're really sitting on a knife's edge.

18
posted on 11/20/2012 7:43:53 PM PST
by Windflier
(To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)

IMHO it is now pedal to the metal destruction. The commie/black racist/islamic/pervert lovers are going to try their very hardest to destroy everything that is good about America, as fast as they can.

I think that goes without saying.

Look at how quiet the regime's been since election day. They've only made such statements as have been completely necessary, such as responses to the unfolding events in Israel. Other than that, and a few threats against Republicans for daring to question Sistah Susan Rice, they've been awfully quiet.

They're up to something. A whole lot of something - I guarantee it.

19
posted on 11/20/2012 7:49:08 PM PST
by Windflier
(To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)

History shows that whoever fires the first shot normally loses. I just pray we're smart about these times.

History shows that a first shot, singular, would be stupid and suicidal. Take away the singular and put in a vast plural, and you might not lose, depending on how smart you were about it, historically speaking, that is, of course.

23
posted on 11/20/2012 8:39:07 PM PST
by Bellflower
(The LORD is Holy, separated from all sin, perfect, righteous, high and lifted up.)

Yep, and with the Obama Campaigns data base, the census data base ( run out of the white house in 2008)which has GPS locations of every household, each one of us is on a list that shows who we are , where we sleep, and the GPS coordinates for drones and missiles and eaves dropping
via drones.

I’d say we have a federal government now evolving towards a 1 party “democracy.”

This is fascism, and its dangerous.The Bill of Rights is out the window.So is the constitution.

“Everybody’s got a plan, then you get punched in the face.” — Mike Tyson

Yeah the tyrants have big plans, but I take a small tiny comfort in the fact these people are mentally ill erratic nutjobs and often incompetent, compared to smarter more disciplined tyrants in history. But that incompetence, changing stories daily, lying through their propaganda press and bungling their ops like Fast and Furious, Benghazi, or SS shenanigans could very well open us up to a MAJOR terrorist attack. Would not surprise me in the least.

Otherwise these clowns are going to overreach their hand and fumble badly. They are making headway in some of their tyranny sure, but that wouldn’t be the case if we had strong Constitutionalists and freedom loving representatives; the larger problem which we all know is the destruction of the rule of law, political correctness, the RINO party and corruption, immorality with too many fat lazy entertained Americans.

The American Revolution, probably some scared Minuteman. British training was little short of organized sadism at this time in history. Chinese revolution, Communists fired first. You are fixating on the Civil War. Yes Germany lost but you are talking a different type of war. This is a revolution and firing first many times leads to victory.It can be argued that the Communists fired first in their revolution with various assassinations etc. prior to the Czar's troops massacre on Bloddy Sunday 1905. During the revolution various socialists like the Bolsheviks, Menshevicks etc. joined together. They almost brought the government down at that point. WWI ended the peasants idea of “if only the Czar knew.”

History shows that a first shot, singular, would be stupid and suicidal. Take away the singular and put in a vast plural, and you might not lose, depending on how smart you were about it, historically speaking, that is, of course.

My point is exactly yours, that historically speaking a first shot doesn't do any good, but many first shots at the same time, the element of total surprise, horror, and taking out the enemy in quantity before they even know what hit them, done wisely, can do much to win a cause. Historically speaking this has proven very effective, and is the only really intelligent way to begin a take over of a government. Historically speaking usually only the very wicked have had the gall, or stomach to behave in this manner, but it can be very effective, and quite intelligent. Your comment, "This is a revolution and firing first many times leads to victory." is an accurate comment, and actually the same point I was making, historically speaking that is. Of course secrecy, stealth, and the trusting of comrades, usually communistic, has been of utmost importance in these past historical scenarios.

46
posted on 11/22/2012 1:04:44 AM PST
by Bellflower
(The LORD is Holy, separated from all sin, perfect, righteous, high and lifted up.)

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